Following on from the news that the Sony PlayStation Network (PSN) had been hacked and confidential user details had been stolen, including credit card data, the latest update is that the details that were stolen have now reportedly appeared for sale on the internet.

A group declaring themselves as responsible for the hacking of the PSN are now apparently posting on forums around the internet that the whole PSN database is for sale to ‘the highest bidder’, according to a security expert at TrendMicro. Details including users names, addresses, telephone numbers, email details, date of birth and credit card information were stolen as part of the electronic hacking of the PSN databases and details such as card expiry dates and the security number on the back of credit cards (CVC number) are apparently now for sale by the hackers, although Sony have responded to the rumours stating that security numbers from credit cards are not amongst the stolen data:

“your credit card security code (sometimes called a CVC or CSC number) has not been obtained because we never requested it from anyone who has joined the PlayStation Network or Qriocity, and is therefore not stored anywhere in our system While we do ask for CCV codes, we do not store them in our database..”

If the rumour is true and these details are indeed for sale then this could clearly be a further huge mess for Sony and it’s customers to try and clear up.

For many users, the initial reaction to the Sony Playstation Network (PSN) and Qriocity services going ‘offline’ on April 20th was one of disappointment and irritation. Many were optimistic that the service would be resumed quickly though, presuming maintenance or a small glitch were to blame for the downtime.

The optimism ended officially on the 23rd of April however, when it became apparent that the reason for the outage on the PSN was a lot more serious than a simple glitch, as Sony themselves declared on their own blog – the reason that the PSN was offline was because there had been an “external intrusion” to their systems.

“An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority. We are doing all we can to resolve this situation quickly, and we once again thank you for your patience. We will continue to update you promptly as we have additional information to share.”

Although at that time, no further explanation regarding the ‘intrusion’ was given, days later Sony finally admitted that the intrusion was actually an electronic hacking attempt that had successfully taken user details including names, addresses and more seriously, credit card details from the Sony databases.

“..between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network.”

Sony are now working to ‘save the situation’ and the closure of the PSN was their first step. However, users are now left wondering firstly why their details were left accessible to a hacking attempt in the first place secondly, why Sony took several days to admit that these details had been stolen and thirdly, what damage will be done by the theft of their personal and financial details.Credit card companies/financial institutions have been quick to reassure affected customers that they should be covered in the event of any fraudulent use of their details however, the whole event is causing much anguish amongst PlayStation Network users, understandably.

As news comes in regarding the hacking of the PSN and the fallout from it, we will update our readers. In the meantime Sony suggest following them on Twitter for updates on the situation:  Follow – @PlayStation or @PlayStationEU.

It’s been a long time coming for many but, at the PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment have at last announced news and information on their upcoming device codenamed the NGP, thus confirming the existance of a successor to their handheld gaming device, the PSP (PlayStation Portable).

Technical specifications for the NGP are as follows:

*  CPU ARM® Cortex™-A9 core
* GPU SGX543MP4+
* External Dimensions Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth)
* Screen size – 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, approx. 16 million colors
* OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive) and Rear touch pad Multi touch pad (capacitive)
* Cameras Front camera, Rear camera
* Sound Built-in stereo speakers
* Built-in microphone
* Sensors Six-axis motion sensing system
* Three-axis electronic compass Location Built-in GPS
* Wi-Fi location service support Keys / Switches PS button
* Power button
* Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
* Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
* Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
* Right stick, Left stick
* START button, SELECT button
* Volume buttons (+/-)
* Wireless communications Mobile network connectivity (3G)
* IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
* Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR （A2DP/AVRCP/HSP）

Game releases confirmed by Sony are as follows:

* Call of Duty
* Uncharted
* Killzone
* Monster Hunter Portable 3
* LittleBigPlanet
* Resistance
* Hot Shots Golf
* WipEout
* Gravity Daze
* Reality Fighters
* Smart As
* Broken
* Little Deviants
* Dynasty Warriors

We’re excited, it seems like a lifetime ago that our PSP was glued to our hands. There was even a rumbling belief that Sony would ‘give up’ and abandon handheld gaming. Clearly Sony have other plans and with a powerful new handheld like the NGP, they are out to pummel their rivals in the future. The NGP (Next Generation Portable) will take over the reigns as Sony’s number one handheld gaming device from the ‘aging’ PSP at the end of 2011.

Good news for PS3 gamers looking to pick up a copy of Killzone 3 – if you manage to get one of the ‘special’ copies then you will be given access to the BETA of the upcoming SOCOM 4 Mutiplayer extravaganza!

Just keep an eye out for the Killzone 3 game with the marked packaging that shows that that copy gives access to the BETA and you’re good to go. You get early access to the 32 player BETA of SOCOM 4 via a PlayStation Network code that is found in the game box. The code can be redeemed once the BETA is live.

Killzone 3 is released on February 22nd and the SOCOM 4 BETA servers are due to be taken live in mid March.

Sony have released a new Bravia TV, which just from the TV specifications is a great deal. The Sony Bravia KDL-22PX300 features a 22 inch display, along with four HDMI ports, two USB ports, SCART socket, component ports, two Ethernet ports, PC input and built in freeview. Most TVs with these kind of specifications go for at least £250, for a quality brand at least and that many connections. The KDL-22PX300 on the other hand, goes for a very reasonable £200.

The price point is fantastic for those looking for a second TV for the bedroom but, what makes this deal even sweeter and unique, is that the TV features a built in PS2 console. At the base of the TV, there is a disc slot for PS2 games, which will also enable the playback of DVDs on the TV, without the need of an external DVD player. Unfortunately the PS2 will only run in standard definition but, most people who still have a PS2, will be using it in standard definition any way. The TV comes with one controller and you can pick the 22 inch PS2 TV up from Richer Sounds for £199.95, or £219.94 with a 5 year warranty.

Eurogamer have published their latest chat with Sony regarding the PlayStation Move controller system. In this latest revelation Sony have admitted that they can make the Move even more accurate than it is currently through a potential upgrade of the units firmware. Although the source, Anton Mikhailov from SCEA, doesn’t believe an improvement in accuracy is necessary:

“So far we haven’t had any real requests from studios to improve the accuracy.  There are a couple of issues here and there we can fix, but the majority the games are not even taxing it to its full accuracy.”

What do you think, is the Move accurate enough for you? I personally think it is a very accurate system, I’ve never had any issues with the accuracy of the PS Move but, it’s good to know that there is a plan for the future all the same and firmware updates if we need them.

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